1,000 held as Nepal Oppn holds
anti-King strike
Kathmandu, April 6
In a major crackdown on the Opposition, Nepal’s royal government today arrested around 400 persons, including senior politicians, on the first day of the four-day nationwide general strike called by the seven-party
pro-democracy alliance against King Gyanendra’s
direct rule.
In
video (28k, 56k)

The Nepalese police arrests a demonstrator at Ason in Kathmandu on Thursday. Ten persons were killed when Maoist guerrillas attacked a district town hours before a strike against the monarchy shut down the troubled nation.
— Reuters photo

Trial resumes sans Saddam
Baghdad, April 6
The trial of Saddam Hussein over the massacre of Shiite villagers resumed today in the absence of the deposed leader, who in a fiery tirade the day before dismissed evidence linking him to the killings.

There is still time for N-deal: Aziz
New York, April 6
Despite Washington’s continued rejections of its demand for parity in civil nuclear ties, Pakistan claimed it “qualified” for an arrangement similar to the Indo-US nuclear deal, pleading that “there is still time” to rectify the situation.

Mass graves with 1,000 bodies found in Iraq
Kirkuk, April 6
Eight mass graves containing around 1,000 bodies have been found near Iraq’s northern oil hub of Kirkuk, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan announced
today. “Most of the victims were Kurds, as well as some Christians and
Turcoman, who lived in these two majority Kurdish villages,” the PUK said in a statement.

Work permit rule hits Indian doctors in Britain
London, April 6
Panic has set in among thousands of doctors from the Indian subcontinent after new rules that came into effect made work permits mandatory for non-European Union doctors to work in the National Health Service.

Americans split on immigration issue: report
Houston, April 6
Americans are largely divided in their opinion about the overall effect of immigration with a sizeable number believing that migrants drain the country of jobs, housing and health care while another section appreciating their contribution to the US society.

Kathmandu, April 6
Over 1,000 protesters were arrested in Nepal on the first day of an Opposition-sponsored general strike against King Gyanendra’s direct rule even as 21 persons, including an Indian, were killed in clashes between Maoists and the security forces and a subsequent Army chopper crash.

An Opposition activist also died after being brutally beaten up by the police ahead of the four-day strike called by the seven-party Alliance for Restoration of Democracy.

At least 12 persons were injured, two of them seriously, when the riot police clashed with demonstrators in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Kalanki, Gongabun and Bhaktapur. The police baton-charged and tear-gassed protesters in different places.

Nepal Communist Party-UML sources said an activist who was badly beaten up by the police during a demonstration on the eve of the strike succumbed to his injuries last night.

Maoists, who had declared support to the strike, raided government and security establishments in Malangawa, district headquarters of Sarlahi, 120 km south of here.
— PTI

Baghdad, April 6
The trial of Saddam Hussein over the massacre of Shiite villagers resumed today in the absence of the deposed leader, who in a fiery tirade the day before dismissed evidence linking him to the killings.

The hearing began with a single defendant in the dock, Awad Ahmad Al-Bander, the former Chief Judge of the Revolutionary Court and Deputy head of Saddam’s office, who was recalled for further cross-examination.

It was not immediately known why Saddam was not in court.

Bander is one of Saddam’s seven co-defendants accused over the massacre of 148 Shiites from the village of Dujail after an attempt on the Iraqi leader’s life there in 1982. He was called after testimony given in previous hearings indicated that 35 minors were executed.

But Bandar said the suspects over the Dujail assassination bid against Saddam were fairly tried, adding: “Even if their trial took place against the backdrop of the Iran war, it was respectfully conducted and I do not think we violated any legal rules.”

“The accused had all the rights and were defended by their lawyers,” he told chief judge Rauf Abdel Rahman.

Yesterday, a defiant Saddam dismissed evidence linking him to the mass killing of Shiite villagers and launched a new tirade of abuse against his trial.

Saddam, now also facing genocide charges in a separate case, was cross-examined for the first time yesterday since the opening of his trial in October.

If found guilty, he and the seven other defendants face the death penalty.
— AFP

New York, April 6
Despite Washington’s continued rejections of its demand for parity in civil nuclear ties, Pakistan claimed it “qualified” for an arrangement similar to the Indo-US nuclear deal, pleading that “there is still time” to rectify the situation.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz asked the USA to adopt “a package approach” for India and Pakistan, saying it would help prevent a nuclear arms race and promote restraint while ensuring that the legitimate needs of both countries for power generation were met.

Pakistan, he claimed, qualified for the type of arrangements that the USA had made with India.

“There is still time for rectify the situation and if that is not done, a major opportunity could be lost”, Mr Aziz said at Columbia University on Tuesday night.

A selective and discriminatory approach would have serious implications for the security environment in South Asia as well as for international non-proliferation efforts, he added.

“As part of our effort to promote international security, Pakistan has offered a Strategic Restraint Regime to India aimed at stabilising nuclear deterrence in South Asia and avoiding an arms race in strategic and conventional weapons,” he said.

Pakistan was determined to prevent terrorists and extremists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction or know-how, he said, and claimed a major role for Islamabad in dismantling its former top scientist A.Q. Khan’s network of international nuclear black market.

Mr Aziz also said the “core dispute” of Kashmir must be resolved for
normalisation of Indo-Pak ties, and called on India to respond to the “courageous” ideas in this regard put forward by Islamabad.

“We must move from dispute management to dispute resolution so as to achieve durable peace,” he said.

Pakistan recognised that Kashmir solution must be acceptable to all three parties—Pakistan, India and above all, the Kashmiri people, he said.
— PTI

London, April 6
Panic has set in among thousands of doctors from the Indian subcontinent after new rules that came into effect made work permits mandatory for non-European Union doctors to work in the National Health Service (NHS).

So far doctors from outside the EU, including from India, were able to take up NHS jobs under what was called ‘‘permit free training’’ schemes. Their jobs were considered part of training that did not require work permits.

Thousands of Indian doctors were employed under the permit free training scheme and were usually hired for short-term periods of one or two years.

The doctors would need to find new posts after their term expired.

From Monday, April 3, employers now need to obtain work permits before employing these doctors after making a case to prove that no British or EU doctor can perform the same job. This rule effectively rules out any chance of employment for non-EU doctors.

The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), with a membership of over 25,000, is planning a protest outside the Department of Health here later this month.

A senior doctor of Indian origin told IANS that the employment situation for Indian doctors was anyway very difficult, with thousands of them unemployed and reduced to living in miserable conditions and availing themselves of free food served in temples and gurdwaras in London and other parts of Britain.

The new rules will adversely affect those who had managed to find work in the NHS. He said for even minor jobs, applications from highly qualified doctors were received in thousands.

Health Minister Lord Warner said: ‘‘We now have more than 117,000 doctors working in the NHS, 27,400 more than in 1997, as well as record levels of doctors in training in UK medical schools.

‘‘This investment and expansion, coupled with the reform of medical education, is leading to increased competition for medical posts as vacancy rates fall,’’ the Minister said.

‘‘There is therefore no longer a need for a specific category in the Immigration Rules to enable doctors and dentists to train in the UK for many years’’.
— IANS

Houston, April 6
Americans are largely divided in their opinion about the overall effect of immigration with a sizeable number believing that migrants drain the country of jobs, housing and health care while another section appreciating their contribution to the US society.

A new report released yesterday by the Pew Hispanic Centre showed that Americans were split over many of the policy proposals aimed at dealing with the estimated 11.5 million to 12 million unauthorised migrants in the country.

According to the report 53 per cent of the respondents felt people who were in the US illegally should go back home, while 40 per cent said they should be granted some kind of legal status that allows them to stay here.

But nearly half of those who believed illegal migrants should leave the country but said some could stay under a temporary work programme.

According to the report, 32 per cent felt it should be possible for them to stay permanently while 32 per cent believed some should be allowed to stay under a temporary worker programme under the condition that they leave eventually and 27 per cent of the respondents thought all illegal immigrants should go back home. — PTI